Animals' Angels is at the Pugu market, the largest cattle and goat market in Tanzania. Between 600 and 1,000 cattle and 400 to 500 goats are sold here every day. The scale is unimaginable. It is easy to lose track of the many animals and people on the huge market site. Outside the market, herds of cattle rest and recover after long journeys from all over Tanzania. Some of the animals are transported 1,000 kilometres before arriving in Pugu. Here they are sold on and transported to local abattoirs.
Loading is the most problematic part of the market process. Heavy sticks are used to drive the cattle up a dilapidated ramp onto the trucks. The atmosphere is frantic and aggressive. With far too many animals being loaded at once, the ramp is completely overcrowded and the cattle are unable to move forwards or backwards. Despite this, they continue to be beaten seemingly at random.
We discuss the problems with the manager and the vet at the market. Both explain that it is difficult for them to change the local conditions at the market. The manager would like support to stop the beating of cattle during loading. He could imagine working with the local agricultural college. Together with the students, training workshops could be organised for the people at the market.
We take up the suggestion and discuss it at our workshop for college teachers from all over the country. We are happy to help implement the idea. However, lasting change for the animals at the Pugu market will only come about if the local authorities and market management take consistent action and apply the Animal Welfare Act without compromise.
